Articles by Diana Beechener

Machete

An action film with a message fails to deliver either.

Danny Trejo (Predators) is a badass. His 20-year career is based on the fact that he is the most intimidating man in just about any room. Trejo’s visceral presence inspired filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids) to make his frequent collaborator an action movie star. At 66, however, Trejo is rapidly moving from grizzled action hero to curmudgeon. Machete is an extended version of the fake trailer that Robert Rodriguez added to his half of the Tarantino/Rodriguez Grindhouse double feature....

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 9/16/10

Get Low

In the backwoods of Depression-ravaged Tennessee, grizzled hermit Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) emerges after 40 years of solitude. Though he’s lived with only mules and dogs for company, the town rumor mill has already invented stories of Felix that range from him killing men in fights to shooting trespassing children. But Felix doesn’t want to kill. He wants to party. He wants to throw himself a funeral, while he’s still alive, inviting everyone in four counties to come...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 9/9/10

Are You in Good Paws?

These pet insurance claims will make you check your policy

Insurance covers many members of your family, including the furry ones. The nation’s oldest pet insurance company, Veterinary Pet Insurance, rewards the most daring clients with its annual VPI Hambone Award, celebrating the most unusual claim. This is not the Darwin Awards. All pets considered for the competition have made full recoveries if not learned their lesson. The 12 most bizarre insurance claims are posted on the VPI website, where readers and pet fanciers vote for their favorite...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener; 9/2/10

Sit. Stay. Heal

For mobile vets, house calls are the norm

Ozzy isn’t sure about the ladies with the needle. The Jack Russell-Dalmatian mix warily eyes the women kneeling on owner Mary Quayle’s kitchen floor, even though the ladies in pink T-shirts pat the ground and offer treats. Ozzy would rather not be Mobile Pet Vets’ first patient of the day. Dr. Lisa Beagan and tech Robin Hennick brush off Ozzy’s rejection. They have plenty of time to win over the anxious pup. House calls don’t have a time limit. Eventually, Ozzy...

Article - Features; by Diana Beechener; 8/26/10

Last Call for Your Pet Tales

Show off your animal relations

We know you have pets. According to the Humane Society of the United States, 77.5 million dogs and 93.6 million cats around the country share our homes. On top of that staggering census, the Humane Society reports that we also spend generously on our pets — at least $200 per year on vet bills alone. Why not show off your furry money pits? This week, Bay Weekly collects the final reader submissions for our annual Pet Tales issue August 26. So far, we’ve got...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener; 8/12/10

Do Your Part to Mow Down Air Pollution

Maryland Department of Environment makes it easier — and cheaper — to ditch your dirty old mower

Find a greener way to care for your lawn Saturday, August 14, at the Great Maryland Lawn Mower Event in Baltimore’s Camden Yards. The first 1,000 people who bring their gas guzzling power mowers to the event can exchange them for a discount in purchasing one of two environmentally friendly electrical Neuton mowers. “This is actually going to be the fourth lawn mower exchange that we’ve done in Maryland,” says Maryland Department of the Environment’s air quality regulation development division...

Article - Green Living; by Diana Beechener; 8/12/10

Backstage Romance

Acting team Anna and Alan Ostroff find a Fantastick way to express their love

The curtain goes up on a real life love story in Infinity Theatre Company’s production of The Fantasticks. The play, which tells the tale of two lovers overcoming familial obstacles, opens at the Children’s Theatre of Annapolis this Friday. The production is the first for fledgling Infinity Theatre Company, whose founders Anna and Alan Ostroff found love and creative fulfillment on stage. “We both have been in love with the show since we can remember,” explains...

Article - Arts and Culture; by Diana Beechener; 7/29/10

Extreme Makeover

Grants from Maryland Heritage Areas Authority makes two groups flush (with cash)

It’s surprising the difference a bathroom makes. As Maryland Heritage Areas Authority divided its $2,617,146 of grant money between 55 projects, at least two projects in Anne Arundel and Calvert County got cash for bathroom upgrades. At Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, executive director Linnell Bowen has long hoped to update the old Annapolis high school’s facilities. “We have the volume of people,” she said, “and we need to keep up.” The hard part...

Article - News; by Diana Beechener; 7/22/10